Valve



T. WILSON Aug. 26, 1941.

VALVE Filed Nov. 4, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet l T. WILSON Aug. 2 1941.

VALVE.

Filed NOV. 4, 1938 4 Sheets$heet 3 Aug. 26; 1941.

T. wlLsc'm VALVE Filed Nov. 4, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Aug. 26,1941 v VALVE Tom-- Wilson, Baltimore,..Md;, assignor'to B'ethle V hemSteel Company, acorporation of Pennsylvania Application November 4,1938,.S'erial No. 238,819 6 Claims. (Ql: 1371-53) The object of myinvention is to provide a device to be used in combination with a gassupply line leading from apparatus which produces gas intermittently, inorder to prevent back-feedingof thegas to such apparatuswhen thepressure therein falls below that in the remainder of the'line. v

I have found my invention to be of valuein connection with'theutilization of gas'produced in blast furnaces. During the operation of ablast furnace, great quantities, of gas are. produced,- which gas; mayconveniently be used for the operation. of coke ovens, gas engines andthe like. It is customary to provide inthe. line leading from the blastfurnace tov the coke ovens. orthe like an expansible andcollapsiblegasometer or other holder capableof storing the excess gas produced,andof feeding suchexcess gas to the coke. ovens-whenthe gas supply fromthe blast furnace fails; Although ablast furnace producesvlarge-quantities of gas, the production is intermittent, and'fails whenthe blast furnace is beingcharged or tapped. Such, failure: reduces thepressure of the gas in the line. leading from the blast furnacebelow"that inthe gas holder, with the result thatba-ckfeeding ofthe gas'fromthe gasometer to the blast furnace takes-place. This. of? course greatlyreduces the ability of the gasometer to. provide an uninterrupted flowof gas to the coke ovens.

My invention comprises novel means of preventing such backieeding of"gas through the use of a liquid sealed valve of special constructionautomatically operated by differentials in the pressure of the gas oneither side of. the. valve. Thus, the valve is so arranged that. whenthegas pressure on the blast furnace side exceeds by a predeterminedamount the. gas pressureon the gasometer side, the valve willautomatically open to allow gas. furnace into the gasometer and cokeoven mains. Upon a reversal of these conditions the valve automaticallycloses and prevents the backfeeding of gas from the gasometer to theblast furnace.

It is-obvious that if gas isproduced by the blast furnace in excess ofits consumption, the gasometer willeventually become filled. There-=fore, means. may be'provided'in' my invention to automatically closesaid valve when the gasometer-becomesfull, regardless of the fact thatthe gasv pressure'on the-blast furnace side of the valve exceeds that onthe: gasometer side."

tolflow from theblast The valve, although useful in-connection. with theproduction of gas by a blast furnace, is not limited to such use butwill operate successfully inany gas-line inwhichitis desired tomaintainaflow of gas inonly one direction. a

The exact nature of my invention is more fully set forth'in-thefollowing-specification, as well as in the drawings in w-hich I Fig.1'is.-a sectional view of the. valve;

Fig. Z 'is-a: plan view of the valve taken along theline 2-2=of Fig. 1*;

Fig. 3" is a" sectional view of' the water cups useidto seal the-valveraising. and lowering mechanism;

Fig; 4 is a'view' in elevation of the arrangement ofcounterweightsemployed to actuate the valve; and

Figs. 5 to 9 are. sectional views of the valve showing the positionswhich it assumes under various operating conditions.

Figure 1 shows in detailthe construction of the water seal" valve 2 2.Said valve, which is preferably constructed offsheet metal, comprises acylindrical wall 31, top 38"and bottom 39, which may bejassembled-in anyconvenient manner as.

by angle irons M1: and M to form a closed cylinder. Located" slightlyabove the point at which the pipe 2| enters the water seal valve 22,isan annular plate'42, theouter edge of. which may be secured to thewall 3]- by means of the angle iron-43..v Braces. the plate 42'. At theinner edge of plate 42 is fastened the open ended pipe or cylinder 45through which the gas entering the valve at 21 is enabled to flow It"will. be seen that cylinders 3.1 and 45, togather-with the plate 42,form. an annular trough 43] adapted to holdwater or other liquidl'land Ito act-as a liquid. seal. trough for the gases enteringthe valve. 481is: a gauge for determining the level of the liquid in the tank, whichlevel may be regulated by'the overfiow valve 49-.

Superimposed upon-thecylinder 45, and dippingintdthe trough 46., isthe-inverted cylindr-ical bell 50 comprisingskirt 5|v and top 52'.Guides 53 may be spaced around the perimeter of the bell atsuitableintervalsto center the bell uponv thecylinder 45;- Ofthe.bell'is' therope. or other lifting means 54 to-which-is fastened acounterweight at a convenient point outside the cylinder 31-. Alsofastened to theztop 52 0f the bell is the stop 55 whichlimits the upwardmovement of the bell.

44' maybe employed to reinforce.

Fastened to the top 52' In order to prevent the escape of gas at thepoint where the rope 54 passes through the top 99 there is provided thewater cup 55 through which the rope 54 passes. The water cup 56 will bemore fully described hereinafter. At the bottom of the water cup 55 isthe stop 5! which limits the upward movement of the bell 59. The upperend of the cylinder "35 is provided with one or more slots I25 whichpermits the flow of gas into the space I25 between the wall of thecylinder 55 and the skirt 5I of bell 59.

Superimposed upon the bell 59 and dipping into the trough 45 is theinverted cylindrical open bell 58 which comprises the skirt 59 and theinwardly extending annular flange 60, which is of such width that itsinner edge 6| rests upon the top 52 of the bell 55. The inner edge ofthe flange 69 may be reinforced by the angle iron 62.

At their point of contact, the surfaces of the. top

52 and the flange 69 are finished so as to provide a gas tight joint,butthe bells 59 and 53 are not fastened together and are'free to moveindependently of each other. The skirt 59 of bell 58 is longer than theskirt 5| of bell 59, but the exact difference in length of said skirtsis immaterial.

The bell 58 is suspended by the ropes 54 which in the embodiment hereshown are three in number, although only two are visible in Figure 1.These ropes pass through the water cups 56' which are identical with thewater cup 55 and are provided with stops 51'. Stops 55' are suitablyfastened to the flange 60 and are similar to stop 55, but shorter, sothat bell 58 has a greater range of vertical movement than bell 50.

At convenient points on the periphery of the skirt 59 may be providedthe outwardly extending wings 63 which run in guides 64 fastened to theinterior of the wall 31 and prevent the rotation of the bell 59 as itrises and falls. 'Likewise, inwardly extending wings 65 may be fastenedto the skirt 59 to keep the bell 58 centered upon the cylinder 45.

Referring to Figure 2, it will be seen that the rope 54 extendsvertically above-the top of the water seal valve 39 and the water cup59. The ropes 54 by which the outer bell 58 is suspended converge at apoint above the top of the water seal valve 38. In order to keep theropes 54 from pulling inwardly against the water cups 55', the rods 66are provided, which effectively hold the ropes 54' in alignment with thesaid water cups.

Figure 3 shows the construction of the water cups 56 and 56'. The watercups consist of two concentric cylinders 61 and 68 fastened together attheir bottom by an annular plate 69 and constituting a deep annulartrough 19 which may be filled with water or other liquid II. The rope 54extends upwardly through the inner cylinder 6! and may be secured at itsupper end to the eye-bolt I2. Suitably secured to the eye-bolt I2 is theconical element I3 from which the cylinder '54 depends and extends intothe annular trough I9. The connections between the eye-bolt I2 on theone hand and the rope 54 and the depending cylinder M are made gastight.

It will be apparent that the water cup 56 hereinabove described providesa water seal which operates on well known principles to prevent theescape of gas from the gas control valve as the bells 59 and 58 areraised and lowered.

The stops 51 and 51' hereinabove referred to are shown to consist of anextension I5 of the "front of the water seal valve cylinder 61, to thelower end of which extension is fastened the annular flange I6.

Figure 4 shows the manner in which the bells 50 and 58 arecounterweighted. The rope 54 which carries the bell 50 passes over thesheaves 11 and I8 and is provided with the counterweight I9; while theropes 54 are brought to a common point by the link and are thereafterextended as a single rope 8I which passes through the fixed sheaves 82,83 and 84 and the adjustable sheave 85 and is provided with thecounterweight 86.

Located in the inlet pipe 2| immediately in 22 is the butterfly valve 3|hereinabove referred to. Butterfly valve 3I is of well knownconstruction comprising a disk 81 (shown in Figure 4 in a horizontal oropen position) suitably pivoted in the walls of pipe 2| at 88 and 89,and having the arm 90 extending beyond the outer surface of pipe 2| Toarm 99 is fastened the lever 9| which carries counterweight 92 as wellas rope 93. Rope 93 is carried over sheaves 94, 95, 95 and 97 as well asadjustable sheave 99 and is secured to counterweight 99. Counterweights92 and 99 are so adjusted that the valve disk 81 is normally in itshorizontal or open position, but may be closed by raising counterweight99 in the manner hereinafter to be described.

It will be seen from Figure 4 that the gasometer 25 comprises an outershell I09 suitably secured tothe bottom IDI and provided with thebearing members I 92 upon which lifts I93, I 04 and I95 rest. Theinterior of the gasometer is filled with water I99 which forms a waterseal of well known type.

At or near the top of the shell I 99 are provided the sheaves I08 and I09 which carry the rope III). This rope III) is fastened at its lowerend to counterweight 99 hereinabove referred to.

In order to guide counterweight 99 in its travel, it is provided withwheels I II which are adapted to run upon track II 2 fastened to theshell I 09 at H3 and II 4. It is also provided with the hole II5 throughwhich the rope BI, previously referred to, runs.

The opposite end of rope H9 is carried up and over sheave II 6 and isprovided with counterweight 1.

At or near the top of the lift II8 provided with the hole rope IIO runs.

It is now possible to describe the mode of operation of the water sealvalve 22. As heretofore explained, the bells 59 and 59 are provided,respectively, with the counterweights I9 and 86. The exact weights ofthe bells and counterweights may be varied to suit the operating con- I03 isthe bracket II 9 through which explain the principles upon whichthe valve operates an actual embodiment of the invention will bedescribed. In this embodiment the weights of said bells andcounterweights are as follows:

Pounds A. (Bell 59) 1022 B. (Bell 58) 2845 C. (Counterweight 19) 1112 D.(Counterweight 85) 2553 It will be seen that the combined weights of Aand B (3867 lbs.) exceed the combined weights of C and D (3665 lbs.) by202 lbs. Accordingly, when the pressure of gas flowing from gasometer 25through pipes 24 and 23 into the upper part of the valve body equals orexceeds that flowing through the pipe ZI into cylinder 45, the bells 50and 58 will assume the position shown in Figure and" the flow of gas ineither direction through the valve will be prevented by means of'thewater seal.

If the gas pressure in cylinder 45 is now increased so that thedifferential in pressure above and below the bells exceeds 202 lbs.,bells 50 and 58 will rise until the stop 55 contacts the stop 51, asshown in Figure 6. In this position the skirt 5| of bell 59 iscompletely out of the water, while the skirt 59 of bell 58 remainsin thewater seal. Moreover, since the weight B (2845 lbs.) exceeds the weightD (2553 lbs.) by 292 lbs., it is evident that the bell 58 will continueto rest upon the bell 50 with the result that the flow of gas throughthe valve is still prevented.

If now the pressure of the gas in the inlet line 2| and cylinder 45 isincreased until the differential in pressure exceeds the 292 lbs. whichhold bell 58- against bell 59, bell 58 is enabled to rise until stop 55contacts stop 51 as shown in Figure '7. In this position of the bellsgas will flow through the valve 22 in the manner indicated by the arrowH9 whence it will flow either to the gasometer 25 or through the pipe2'! to the coke ovens or the like. e

The foregoing illustration is given by way of example only. Obviouslythe actual weights of the bells and their counterweights may be variedto suit the gas pressures to be encountered in actual practice and theresults desired. Obviously, also, with bells and counterweights of anyspecified weights, the bells will be made of such size that they willoperate under the pressures desired. For example, if a valve in whichthe bells and counterweights have the weights above specified isinstalled in a main leading from a blast furnace to a gasometer, wherecomparatively low gas pressures are encountered the diameter of theinner bell may conveniently be made four feet and the diameter of theouter bell six .feet six inches. With such dimensions, a pressuredifferential of approximately .11 pound per square inch, orapproximately 3.1 inches of water, will be required to raise the innerand outer bells to the position shown in Fig. 6. To raise the outer bellto the position shown in Fig. T;

and thus open the valve, an additional pressure differential ofapproximately .098 pound per square inch or approximately 2.75 inches ofwater will be required. Obviously, the skirts of both bells will be madeof such depth that the. water seals will not blow under the aboveconditionsor under any other conditions of pressurev which mayoccasionally exist in the line. Obviously, also, changes in therespective. areas of the bells will affect the pressures required tooperate them under the weight conditions assumed. These matters will bereadily understood by one. skilled in the art.

It will be noted that through the use of the two bells 59 and 58 the gaswhen flowing through the valve 22 does not pass through the water whichconstitutes the sealing medium. This is an important result which isobtained through the use of my invention, since it is well known thatthe passage of gas through the water, which would occur if bell 50 wereused alone without bell 58, has a deleterious effect upon thegas; and

also increases the difficulty of. maintaining the water seal at itsproper level.

From the description hereinabove given of the valve, it will be apparentthat if for any reason the pressure of the gas in the inlet line 2|falls belowthe 292 lbs. required to raise bell 58 from its). seat. onbe1l"5'0;,.bel1 58i'wil'l immediately fall and thereby reestablish aseal which will prevent the back flow of gas. from the gasometer 25 tothe inlet line 2[. Thiszisgthe primary function accomplished by thevalve 22-. It is obvious that the backfeeding of gas from the gasometerv25 to. the inlet line 2|v is-wasteful, of gas and? creates a hazard" offire or explosion'.-,: This is completely prevented by the' valvehereinabove described. Moreover, the, use. of: such a valve bypreventing the backfeeding' of .gas from the gasometer insures thepresence of sufficient gas in the gasometer to run the-coke ovens-fora'period of time, with the'result that it isnotnecessary to place the.coke: ovens on, neutral position immediately uponthe cessation of flowof gas from the source of supply. V As, heretofore shown, the; severalfunctions performed by the valve 22' areaccomplished through theassembly of the bells; 59 and 58.. and the counterweights 19 and 88 inthe manner immediately hereinaboveset forth. In order, however, toperform these functions more successfully, the said valve may, ifdesired; be equipped with the. auxiliary devices. now to be described.

Reference to Figure 4 shows that lift I03 is furnishediwith a bracket||8=through which rope H0 runs. At a point somewhat below the positionassumed-by bracket H8 when the'gasometer 25= is'filled with gasand liftI93 isin its highest position, rope H9 is provided with a stop I29.When; because of gas. flowing into the gasometer 2.5 through valve '22,lift )3 rises, bracket H8 will assume the position H9 andengage stopI20. As lift l03- rises still further bracket H8 will assume theposition shown at H8 and will raise stop I20 to the position shown atI20.

The raising of stop I29 will raise counterweight 99, which, by engagingstop-I21 secured to rope 8|, will raise counterweight 86.

The release of bell 58'from the effect of counterweight 86- willimmediately cause said bell to fall and reestablish a seal which willprevent the further flowof gas through valve 22- and into the gasometer,as shown in Figure& Underthis condition the combined weights A and-B(3367- lbs.) will exceed weight C (1112 lbs.) by 2755 lbs, with theresult that even a great increase in the pressure of theincoming gaswill not break the seal so established. 7

It 1 will be seen therefore that valve 22- which prevents backfeedingofgas from the gasometer to the inlet line may, through the use ofauxiliary means for raising counterweight 86, be adapted to prevent theflow of gas into the gasometer 25 when the latter is full.

Figure 9 shows the valve 22 when the lift I93 is in its high positionand the pressure in the inlet line falls below that in the holder. Inthis position the bells 59 and 59 will be in their low position andwill, as before described, eifectively prevent the backfeedi-ng of gasfrom the gasometer to the inlet line. In Figure 9 it will be seen thatthe pressure of gas from the gasometer has raised the water level in thespace between cylinder 45 and inner bell 50.

When the lift I03 drops and releases counterweight 86, bells and 58 willstill remain closed until the pressure in the gasometer dropssuiiiciently below that in the inlet line to enable the bells to. riseand-break the seal.

Referring again to Figure 4, it will be seen that when lift I03 reachesits high position and raises counterweight 99, lever 9| attached tobutterfly valve 3| will immediately fall and close inlet line 2L As isthe case with the auxiliary means for engaging counterweight 86,butterfly valve 3| is not essential for the operation of valve 22 butsimply provides additional means for shutting off the supply of gas whenthe gasometer 25 is filled.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the presentinvention comprises a water seal valve which permits the flow of gasfrom the source of supply to a gasometer and to the place of consumptionof the gas, but automatically prevents the backfeeding of gas when thesupply fails. The valve, moreover, is so constructed that gas flowingthrough the valve does not pass through the water which constitutes theseal. Auxiliary to the water seal valve is means actuated by thegasometer to close the valve when the gasometer is full; but this is notessential to the operation of the valve. There is also provided abutterfly valve which closes automatically when the gasometer is full.This valve is also auxiliary to the Water seal valve and is notessential for its successful operation.

Although I have described specific means for operating the water sealvalve and the auxiliary apparatus, it is obvious that other means mightbe provided for performing these functions. In particular, I have givenspecific weights for the bells 50 and 58 and .their respectivecounterweights. These weights, however, are merely illustrative of asuccessful embodiment of my invention. It is obvious that if the bellsare constructed of lighter materials, or if it is desired to increasethe pressures required to open the valve, the counterweights might beentirely dispensed with. In such case, it would be possible, withoutdeparting from thespirit of my invention, to provide auxiliary meansoperated by the gasometer for the purpose of lowering the open bell 58when the gasometer is full. The only rule which must be observed inconstructing the bells 50 and 58 is to so proportion the weights of thebells that the outer bell will not rise from its seat on the inner belluntil the latter is completely out of the water seal.

It is also obvious that although I have described the water seal valve22 in conjunction with a gasometer, the gasometer is not essential tothe operation of the valve, since the valve is equally efiective toprevent backfeeding of gas when used in a pipe line leading directlyfrom the source of supply to the point of consumption.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A valve for a gas main comprising an inet pipe adapted to lead fromthe said main, a water sealed bell covering said inlet pipe and adaptedto move upwardly in response to increasing pressure of gas in the inletpipe and to move downwardly in response to decreasing pressure of gas inthe inlet pipe, a second water sealed bell seated on said firstmentioned bell and movable therewith, said second mentioned bell beingadapted to move upwardly independently of said first mentioned bell inresponse to a further increase of gas pressure in the inlet pipe therebybreaking said seat and permitting the flow of gas therethrough.

2. A valve for a gas main comprising an inlet pipe adapted to lead fromthe said main, a water sealed bell covering said inlet pipe, a secondwater sealed bell seated upon said first mentioned bell, said bellsbeing movable upwardly in seated relationship in response to an increaseof gas pressure in the inlet line to break the water seal of the firstmentioned bell, said second mentioned bell being further movableupwardly in response to a further increase of gas pressure in the inletline to unseat said second bell and permit the flow of gas therethrough.

3. A Valve for a. gas main, comprising an outer shell, an inlet pipeadapted to lead from said main into the interior of said shell, a watersealed bell covering one end of said inlet pipe and adapted to moveupwardly to break the water seal in response to an increase in the gaspressure in the inlet pipe, a second water sealed bell seated on saidfirst bell and movable therewith, second bell having a longer skirt thansaid first bell, said second bell being adapted to move upwardlyindependently of said first bell in response to a further increase inthe gas pressure in the inlet pipe thereby breaking said seat andpermitting the flow of gas therethrough, and means for limiting theupward movement of said second bell to prevent the breaking of the waterseal of said second bell.

4. A valve for a gas main, comprising an inlet pipe adapted to lead fromsaid main, a water sealed bell covering one end of said inlet pipe, asecond water sealed bell seated upon said first bell, an opening in thetop of said second bell, said bells being movable upwardly in seatedrelationship in response to an increase of gas pres sure in the inletpipe to break the water seal of said first bell, said second bell beingfurther movable upwardly in response to a further increase of gaspressure in the inlet pipe to unseat said second bell and permit theflow of gas through the opening in the top thereof.

5. A valve for a gas main comprising an inlet pipe adapted to lead fromsaid main, a water sealed bell covering one end of said inlet pipe, asecond water sealed bell seated on said first bell, said bells beingnormally adapted to move upwardiy in response to an increase in the gaspressure in the inlet pipe, and said second bell being normally adaptedto move further upwardly in response to a further increase in the gaspressure in the inlet pipe to unseat said second bell and permit theflow of gas therethrough, a counterweight for said second bell, andmeans for rendering said counterweight ineffective, whereby the upwardmovement of said bells in response to a further increase in the gaspressure in the inlet pipe is prevented.

6. A valve for a gas main comprising a. shell, and inlet pipe adapted tolead from the gas main to the interior of said shell, a water sealedbell covering one end of said inlet pipe and adapted to move upwardly inresponse to an increase in the gas pressure in the inlet pipe to breaksaid seal, a second Water sealed bell seated on said first bell andmovable therewith, said second bell being adapted to move furtherupwardly in response to a further increase in the gas pressure in theinlet pipe to break said seat and permit the flow of gas therethrough, acounterweight for said second bell, and means for rendering saidcounterweight inefiective whereby such further upward movement of saidsecond bell is prevented.

TONI WILSON.

